OUR TEAM
Our team possesses a wide range of experience, knowledge and skills.
Having come from all walks of life, the members of the ATT team, including full- and part-time volunteers and members, have each made the choice to dedicate themselves to the cause of Animal Freedom.
Mark Westcombe
Direction Lead
Mark is a founder and director of Animal Think Tank. As Mission Lead (Task) he is responsible for building and resourcing Animal Think Tank’s organisational capacity and steering the delivery of organisational strategy and mission.
Meet Mark
He was a co-founder of Animal Rebellion and previously organised the UK’s Animal Rights Gathering (2017 & 2018).
Professionally Mark has worked as a management consultant and group facilitator specialising in risk mitigation, strategic decision making and project impact. He has worked for many national and international organisations, including HMRC, British Sugar, the NHS, Ministry of HE Indonesia, Ministry of Trade Sweden, and Ministry Of Defence. He was a lecturer in this area at Lancaster University Management School at BSc, MSc and MBA levels between 2001 and 2018. He is a trainer in Systems Thinking and Group Facilitation for his professional body, The Operational Research Society. He has twice been awarded teaching prizes for his work on incorporating diversity into the university syllabus. He has postgraduate training as a Group Analyst (Psychotherapy).
Mark was a founder and director of the multi-award-winning Lancaster Cohousing; and co-founder and director of the UK Cohousing Network 2006-2015, and chair 2013-2015. As a gay man, he has enjoyed organising several of Lancaster’s QueerFeasts, as well as helping organise Lancaster Pride in 2007. In his spare time he enjoys fell running; foraging; cooking; and generally being outdoors.
Kangan Upadhye
Strategy Lead
Kangan, as Strategy Lead, is responsible for providing strategic direction by leveraging her knowledge of social change and comprehensive understanding of the political landscape.
Meet Kangan
Professionally, Kangan has excelled as a technology consultant, specialising in strategic and innovative IT projects coupled with effective project management. Her professional journey has been marked by a rich diversity of experiences, having lived in India, Australia, and the UK. She has received notable recognition for her innovative contributions to the technology industry, particularly in the microfinance sector in India.
Having completed her Master’s in Public Administration from the London School of Economics and Political Science, Kangan has actively contributed to projects with Daksh, Legal Think Tank, and the Ministry of External Affairs, India.
Kangan attributes her Digambara Jain heritage to shaping her values of non-violence, compassion, and love, leading her to maintain a plant-based diet throughout her life. Outside of work, she finds solace in the outdoors, immersing herself in nature, working in animal shelters, and continuing her passion for professional dance and filmmaking.
Natalie Braine
Narrative Lead
Natalie is our Narrative Lead. Her work is focused on uncovering the values, metaphors, frames and narratives that will most persuade different demographics that Animal Freedom is an urgent social issue. She gathers hope and inspiration from other movements and campaigns that have helped change the narrative, and in turn changed society for the better.
Meet Natalie
After being involved with Extinction Rebellion in 2019 and witnessing first-hand the power of people standing up together to change the national conversation, Natalie went on to lead Animal Rebellion’s social media team later that year. It was here that she learned more about the role of storytelling in strategic campaigning.
Before joining Animal Think Tank full-time, Natalie worked in entertainment media (PR, journalism and book publishing), and is also a published novelist. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, writing, exploring new places and being in nature with her favourite person, Hattie.
Robert Udale
Public Research and Testing
Rob leads our public research and testing. His role is to conduct research to determine the messages, frames, metaphors, and narratives which most persuade people to support Animal Freedom. He hopes that one day this research will help to shape the conversation at a societal level about Animal Freedom.
Meet Rob
Rob gained his PhD in Cognitive Psychology at the University of Bristol. His past research investigated the mental processes which support our ability to remember, think, and make decisions. Rob became interested in Animal Freedom activism in 2022 where he began volunteering with his local animal rights group to reach out to the local community and encourage veganism. He has also volunteered with Animal Rebellion on their “Stop the supply” and “Feed our future” campaigns.
In his spare time, he enjoys cooking, gardening, video games, and playing chess. He lives at home with his wife, his son, a grumpy hedgehog, and three somewhat cocky hens.
Dilan Fernando
People & Culture Lead
Dilan is a core member of Animal Think Tank. As Governance Lead, he is responsible for enabling Animal Think Tank to organise at scale while staying resilient enough to achieve its mission.
Meet Dilan
Dilan has trained as a Self-Organisation Coach with Evolving Organisation, and holds deep knowledge of progressive governance systems like Holacracy and Sociocracy.
Dilan was integral in the early success of Animal Rebellion. Leading the organisation’s Media team in 2019, he helped the idea of a plant-based food system reach deep into mainstream consciousness. Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Dilan co-founded Young Voices for Animals, where he created a youth leadership program and Australia’s first Youth Animal Rights Conference. He founded the Monash University Vegan Society and co-organised Melbourne’s March to Close All Slaughterhouses. He has delivered talks on social movement strategy at the Institute for Critical Animal Studies and Australia’s Animal Rights Forum. In the Australian anti-poverty movement, Dilan was a pioneering member of Monash SEED and a coordinator at Oaktree.
Dilan holds Bachelor degrees in Commerce and Economics from Monash University, and previously worked in Marketing at National Australia Bank. In his spare time Dilan enjoys calisthenics, playing the guitar, watching arthouse films and lamenting the performance of the Sri Lankan cricket team.
David Bowden
Social Movement Governance
David is our Social Movement Governance lead. He is responsible for building the capacity and sustainability of local groups and their alignment with a coordinated national strategy. This includes conceptualising national and local group governance best practice whilst developing resources and training for social movement organisers.
Meet David
David has experience of working and organising within social activist groups, university societies and poetry working groups. He is particularly interested in the role of pre-figurative politics in organising activist spaces, the structure of democratic processes in decentralised organisations and their potential in reaching across cultural, social and political divides.
Originally wanting to join the Royal Marines, David became interested in animal ethics after studying Philosophy at college. This led him to achieve a 1st class undergraduate degree from Lancaster University in Philosophy and a master’s degree with Distinction from Durham University in Philosophy. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, writing poetry, board games, going to the gym and (eventually) learning Spanish.
Owen Oliver
People
Owen is our People lead within our Culture team. His main responsibilities are recruitment and onboarding.
Meet Owen
He was a full time member in 2019 of the Talks and Trainings team at Animal Rebellion. In this role he reached out to people across the country organising talks and Nonviolent Direct-Action trainings, as well as delivering them himself. Owen has engaged in many different outreach groups and has enjoyed the positive interactions he has had with people doing this. He is also a speaker on Animal Resistance.
He has a 1st class degree in Philosophy, wrote his dissertation on Animal Rights, and is trained in Nonviolent Communication. Owen claims that since going vegan in 2018 he has yet to meet another Vegan interested in football and he longs for the day when he finds another Vegan as passionate about football as he is.
Helen Maitland
Qualitative Public Research and Testing.
Helen is our Qualitative Researcher. She leads focus group discussions and interviews with members of the public to determine the most persuasive messages, values, frames, metaphors and narratives that can help build public support for Animal Freedom.
Meet Helen
Before joining Animal Think Tank Helen worked in Youth Voice and Influence at a national charity, leading qualitative research and participation to ensure young people’s voices were amplified and influential. Inspired by the Vegan Leaders Playbook, Helen established the charity’s first Vegan Network.
Helen lives with Matsa (also pictured), together they enjoy exploring the muddiest parts of the countryside and sniffing out great vegan food. Helen also volunteers for Animal Aid as a school speaker.
Hattie
Wellbeing Extraordinaire
Hattie came to the UK in 2017, after living on the streets in Romania. Despite her traumatic start in life, she continues to see the best in all human animals.
Meet Hattie
At Animal Think Tank, she reminds the team about the need for regular stretches, breaks and the importance of sharing snacks. Hattie loves exploring new places, squirrel-watching and belly rubs. She’s looking forward to more animals joining the team.
Lottie
Kinship Collaborator
Lottie joined the team in January 2023. She loves food in any form it comes, chewing bag straps and running in the woods. As a survivor of abuse, she is rediscovering her kinship with human animals. She helps remind the team that when someone is allowed to be themselves, they can truly thrive. She also reminds them that the comfy yellow chairs belong to her and Hattie.
And thanks to changemakers:
Logo design: Lorenzo Jacopo Sciuca
Website rebrand: MAD Ideas
Photography: Jo-Anne McArthur / We Animals plus others as credited
Thanks to our diverse and courageous supporters, whose collective action is helping to create the future for fellow animals.